Tag Archive | Bible Study

Will God get thrown under the bus this election?

Question: Does God care how we vote?

Answer: God cares about everything we do including how we vote. When we vote for someone who has made clear the agenda they plan to implement, we help them carry out that agenda. If that agenda goes against the teachings of God, then we are helping them work against God’s plan. One day, we will answer to God for what we have done. Our loyalty to a political party or candidate should not be stronger than our loyalty to God.

As Christians, we know from studying God’s Word, the Bible, that it is God who determines what is right and what is wrong and not political poll results. Believers understand that even when a majority of the people vote to endorse anything that God calls sin, it’s still sin, and God’s people should not help support it.

For example, one of the biggest social issues being debated in our time is the definition of marriage. However, if you know God’s Word, then you know that there is nothing to debate. God created marriage to be a union between one man and one woman, period. In fact, Jesus said this in Matthew 19:4-6, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female’ and said ‘For this reason a man should leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate.” (NKJV)

God has defined marriage. He created it. Are you planning to vote for a candidate who defines marriage opposite to how God defines it? If you vote for this person, you will be helping him or her push an agenda that goes against the Word of God.

Another major issue of our time is the legalization of abortion. We know that abortion is the ending of a baby’s life. As Believers, we must remember who it was that gave that baby life to begin with. It is almighty God who, alone, gives life. Psalm 139:13-14, says it beautifully: “For You have formed my inward parts. You have covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” (NKJV)

Plus, we know that children are a gift from God, no matter how good or how bad their parents are. In Psalm 127:3, the Bible says, ” Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward.” (NKJV) Are you planning to vote for a candidate who is pro-life, someone who sees the baby in their mother’s womb as a gift from God? Or, does your candidate support abortion?

More than 60 million babies have been aborted since the 1973 legalization of abortion. More than 96% of these abortions have not been done to save the mother’s life. By voting for a pro-abortion candidate, one who will have the power to put more pro-abortion judges on the Supreme Court and keep abortion legal, you will be helping more babies’ lives to end. Will you be proud to defend voting for pro-abortion candidates before God?

Many professed Christians explain their support for anti-traditional marriage and pro-abortion candidates by saying that these candidates will help the poor and minorities. While there may be some good programs your candidate supports that help those in need, other programs — even though of good intentions — tend to encourage the needy to stay needy. Evidence of this can be seen by visiting poor communities in cities across the country, Many of these communities have remained poor under leadership of both political parties, even after several decades.

Christians know that the best way out of poverty is by living God’s way, putting your trust in Him, and making decisions about how you live that please God. No matter who wins the political race, Christians will always be able to help the poor by leading them out of poverty God’s way.

The bottom line is that no candidate will be perfect. As Christians, we are to pray for all of our leaders. We want them all to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and repent of their sins. Yet still, voting for a candidate who has openly promised to support things that God clearly calls sin is to support an agenda that goes against the Word of God. Since the Lord will hold us accountable for whom we support, pray that you make the right choices. Let’s not throw God under the bus this election or anytime!

(Updated from my November 2, 2012 blog post)

Follow me on Twitter: @valclarksplace

God, not earthly judges, determines what is right and wrong!

Sep10

Question: When it comes to moral issues, do our votes still count?

Answer: First, remember how blessed we are to live in America where citizens have the Constitutional right of freedom of religion! We are also part of a democracy, so we are able to vote for those who govern over us. The majority vote wins. However, in many states, the majority vote of the people has been overruled by the majority vote of court judges — including the judges of the highest court in our country — the U.S. Supreme Court.

For example, a few years ago, over 60% of the voters in North Carolina voted in favor of Amendment One. This Amendment upheld marriage as only being recognized as a legal union between one man and one woman. But the people’s vote was overruled by court judges. So, even though Jesus, Himself, reaffirmed this one-man one-woman definition of marriage (read Matthew 19: 4-6), earthly judges are trying to push a different meaning. These judges are saying that marriage between two men or between two women is not only just fine, but a legal right. But by simply reading God’s Word, including Romans chapter 1: 18-32, Believers know that God includes homosexual behavior among many sins. We also learn that we all have committed sins and that is not okay with God.

Another example of earthly judges ruling against the Word of God is the with the 1973 Roe vs Wade Supreme Court decision creating a new-found right to have abortions. They based their decision on a broad category of “a right to privacy.” They decided that abortions are just fine and deserve legal protection. They declared, in effect, that the baby in the mother’s womb is just a meaningless clump of cells. But God says the opposite. (See Psalm 139: 13-14)

While God’s Word clearly lists many actions as being sins, these particular examples are some that judges have legalized and many people even celebrate! But since these people have not been able to convince a clear majority of voters to accept these sinful actions, they are depending on earthly court judges to force their sinful beliefs on everyone else. Of course, they would say that they are just supporting what is fair and right. They accuse their opponents of being haters of diversity and inclusiveness. But the Bible warns us that we will encounter these type of people. They seem to think it is man, not God, who determines what’s right and wrong. They don’t understand that we learn right and wrong by reading the Bible. And, they don’t understand that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” (2 Timothy 3: 16-17 NKJV)

However, praise to our Father God in Heaven for His great mercy and grace! For the same Bible that tells us that “the wages of sin is death” also tells us that the “gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) So, as Believers, we must pray for the salvation of all those still caught up in sin. Pray for them to know that our loving God has provided us with a way back to Him through His only Son. Pray that they accept that Jesus was put to death on the cross to take the punishment we deserve for our sins. And, as Jesus rose again on the third day to be united with His Father God, we too can be in Heaven with God one day. God wants us to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, ask Him to forgive us of our sins, and live our lives to please God. No more embracing, promoting, or legislating what God calls sin. And, rest assured that no matter what earthly judges decide, God will not be mocked, and He is still in control! Amen!

Follow me on Twitter: @ValClarksPlace

Stop acting like a loser! Power up!

Aug10

Question: With so many immoral things happening in the world, I feel like Believers are losing the spiritual battle. Are we?

Answer: Observing this rebellion against God’s teachings naturally makes us feel like we’re losing the moral battle. But we feel this way because we are just looking at the circumstances instead of keeping our eyes focused on God. Remember, the Bible already tells us that these things are going to happen when people turn their backs on God and embrace sin. (See Romans 1 : 29 – 32) In fact, 2 Timothy 4:3-4 says, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (NKJV)

But, remember 1 Corinthians 15:57 which says, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” So, Believers must continue to witness to unbelievers that they can be saved from the eternal damnation resulting from their sin. We must tell them that they can be saved from this eternal separation from God by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, asking Him to forgive them of their sins, repenting of their sins, and living their lives to please God.

Therefore, Believers must continue to proclaim the Word of God with renewed strength and boldness especially during these troubled times. We must hold fast to our faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We must be able to say what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 1:16. He said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” God gives us the power through His Holy Spirit to guide and renew us each day so we can live by and spread His Word.

So, no matter the outcomes of the immoral decisions our society makes, Believers should not act like losers. The Word says that God will not be mocked. He will have the final word. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58) And, through Him, we will have the victory!

Follow me on Twitter: @valclarksplace

Don’t start the New Year believing the devil’s lies!

Dec30

Question: I can believe that God loves other people. But, with a past like mine, how could God really love somebody like me?

Answer: First, know that you are not alone in feeling this way. There are many people with pasts that include everything from using illegal drugs and drunkenness, to stealing, sexual promiscuity, and even murder who think there’s no hope for them to have a true relationship with a Holy God. But that is simply not true. These are just lies of the devil!

The Bible gives us many examples of how God has used people with troubled pasts. Take the prostitute Rahab. She hid the messengers of God when they needed help. Joshua 6:25 tells us that as a result of her actions — despite her background — Rahab and her household were saved by God. And in another example, look at the life of the Apostle Paul, a well-known persecutor and murderer of Christians, who was later used by God to be a great Christian leader. In 1st Timothy 1:15, Paul himself says: “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” (NKJV)

In fact, Satan even tried to get Jesus to believe his lies. Luke 4: 1 – 13 tells us how Satan encountered Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days trying to tempt Jesus to turn His back on God and worship him instead. It didn’t work. Satan failed to tempt Jesus away from God. In verse 8, Jesus responds by saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.'” So if Satan tried to get Jesus away from God, you know he is trying to get you. Don’t fall for his lies!

The truth is that God actually wants to have a relationship with us. But, as it says in Romans 3:23, “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” And our sins do separate us from God. But because God loves us so much He made a way for us to be reconciled to Him and to be able to join Him in Heaven one day. That one and only way is through Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment we deserve for our sins. When we accept Jesus as our Savior and ask Him to forgive us of our sins and repent, we are reconciled to God. See John 3:16.

So remember, Satan doesn’t want you to have a relationship with God. He wants you to stay wallowing in your sins and separated from God because of them, and on your way to hell with him. Jesus says, “The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) So, while we must realize that Satan wants us to feel unloved by God and defeated, we can stand strong against his lies. We can go into the new year knowing that we, indeed, have God’s love. Praise the Lord!

Follow me on Twitter: @valclarksplace

A Family Needs a Firm Foundation

Mar22

Question: In these challenging social times, how do I help my children be strong Christians?

Answer: It’s true that traditional Christian values are being challenged from every direction. If your son or daughter attends public schools or universities, they are most likely being taught to believe ideas and ways that are contrary to God’s biblical teachings…in addition to the regular reading, writing, and math. Most parents are not aware of this. That’s why parents need to be very active in keeping up with what’s going on in their child’s school. However, the bottom line is that parents cannot be with their child every minute. Therefore, it becomes even more important that parents are teaching their children from a very early age what exactly their family believes. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. This training will be their firm foundation.

Sadly, too many Christians today don’t even know themselves what God teaches us in His Word-The Holy Bible. As Christians, we need to read and study the Bible for ourselves. Plus, it is extremely important to attend a true Bible believing, Bible teaching church. Be aware that many places call themselves a church, but they don’t even teach that the Bible is true. If you are in a church like this, you and your family need to leave NOW! Learn God’s Word! Being strong in the Lord starts with you and your children understanding that we are all sinners in need of a Savior. Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, is that Savior. Once we ask Jesus to forgive us our sins, repent, and accept Him as our Savior, we can go on to grow in our faith in the Lord! Know that we cannot strive in this world by our own strength. God gives us His Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us through this life…until we die from this world, and move on to eternal life in Heaven!

Helpful Links:

Focus on the Family www.focusonthefamily.com

Crown Financial Ministries www.crown.org

The Christian Broadcasting Network www.cbn.com

World Magazine www.worldmag.com